A V3ry Merry Christmas
by Team Mike
Summary: "So, like, you've never celebrated Christmas, Maki Roll?" The students from DRV3 are getting ready for the holidays, but Maki is left out. Kaito takes it upon himself to show her what Christmas is all about. [Minor DRV3 Spoilers] PHOTO CRED: Digital Hedgie


"So, like, you've never celebrated Christmas, Maki Roll?"

Kaito Momota couldn't believe what he just heard.

"No. The orphanage couldn't afford to give us any gifts. They couldn't even afford any decorations. So we just treated the day like any other. And, even after I left... I didn't have time for celebrations. Assassins can't take any breaks. Not even for things they care about..."

Kaito and Maki were standing inside of the tan, wooden house on Mirai Hills, where the sixteen of them have been living for the past couple months. It could barely accomodate them, but it was a paradise compared to that school... And with Miu working on improvements, there won't ever be a reason to leave.

The hall was very large, but it seemed enormous with only the two of them there. Kaito was stunned by Maki's callous past. He couldn't possibly imagine a lifestyle so cruel, having no time for relaxation.

The grandfather clock ticked slowly in the distance, as Kaito stood there, shocked. He didn't think he could feel more sorry for her than he did before... He'd just have to make it up to her by giving her a proper Christmas this time around. Kaito wiped the look of surprise off his face, and showed her a friendly smile as he walked closer.

"Well, you're not with them anymore. You've got all the time in the world. And today, we'll show you what Christmas is all about!"

Kaito grabbed Maki's arm as she looked at him, confused. While she didn't retaliate, she did pull backwards when he tried to usher her outside.

"But... It's cold out there."

"Maki Roll, that's no reason to coop yourself in here while everyone else celebrates! C'mon!"

Kaito pulled harder on her arm, and she gave in with relative ease. Kaito's smile shone onto Maki as they walked together, and a slight grin appeared on Maki's face.

"As the leader, it's my responsibility to show you what you've been missin' all these years!"

Kaito opened the door, and the two of them walked through. The cold air blasted at them, and Maki shivered subtly. The sun was beginning to set outside, transforming the sky from light blue to yellow. Kaito turned left and led them towards everyone else, as small snowflakes peppered their uniforms. Once Kaito was sure Maki was following him, he released her arm.

As they were walking off the deck, the two of them saw Kirumi and Korekiyo sitting down, in their uniforms as well, watching the others. In between them was a table with a large pitcher and many cups. Both of them held a cup of the hot beverage, the steam from the drink clearly visible in the cold. They looked up when they heard Kaito and Maki pass by.

"Maki, I'm glad you could join us. Would you care for some hot chocolate?" Kirumi asked politely, reaching for the pitcher.

"I recommend you do, it's very delectable." Korekiyo joined in, drinking more of his cocoa.

"Maki, don't tell me you've never had hot cocoa too!"

Kaito turned towards Maki, not in confusion, but mostly in excitement. Maki shook her head slowly, prompting Kaito to run up to Kirumi.

"We'd both like one."

Kirumi poured out the deep brown beverage and handed the cups to Kaito. Maki walked over and took one of them from him, holding the cup up to her face for warmth. Kaito watched as she took her first sip.

"It's good, right?"

Maki was silent for a couple seconds, and then nodded.

"Yes."

"You see?"

"...See what?"

Kaito stepped down off the deck and motioned for Maki to follow.

"What you've been missin'."

"It's only a drink, Kaito."

"Yeah, but there's a lot more where that came from."

Kaito led Maki towards the students' Christmas tree, which came from the forest nearby. The tree shone with white lights, blinking in various patterns. Many colorful ornaments adorned it, depicting each student's various talents and tastes. Standing there decorating it were Kaede and Shuichi. They were talking to each other, and laughing every so often.

Kaito waved as he greeted his sidekick.

"Hey, Shuichi!"

Shuichi turned around, finishing hanging an ornament.

"Kaito! Hey."

Kaede turned around as well, noticing Kaito, and Maki by his side.

"Hey, you two! Do you want to help us decorate?"

"Yeah. Right, Maki?"

The three of them stared at Maki eagerly, but she calmly looked away from them.

"What's the point?"

"Christmas trees are important, Maki Roll. They're supposed to be a symbol for... something. It's a Christmas tradition to decorate one."

Kaito turned towards her, and she looked up to face him again.

"What's the meaning of it? I've seen Christmas trees before... during assassinations. They're nothing special to me."

"The meaning?"

Kaito paused for a second, and then reached down to grab an ornament out of the box at Shuichi's feet. He shoved the ornament towards Maki.

"Well, you gotta give it a meaning. Here, try it."

Maki cautiously took the ornament from Kaito and looked around for an empty branch. As she looked up, she saw something out of place.

"Why is Angie sitting on top of the tree?"

Kaito's head jerked upwards, and surely enough, he saw Angie Yonaga, meditating there. Shuichi spoke up suddenly.

"Oh, Atua told her to do that..."

Kaede chimed in as well.

"Yeah, something about 'being our guiding light'... There's supposed to be a star there, but this'll have to do."

Maki nodded in agreement, and stood on her toes to place the ornament on the tree. After she finished, Kaito gave her a wide grin.

"See? How did that feel?"

"It didn't feel like anything."

Kaito grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, leading her away from the tree.

"That's cuz you haven't experienced the whole thing yet. You'll see."

Maki was startled by Kaito's sudden motion, and her face turned the slightest shade of red. Kaede hurriedly spoke up from behind them.

"I'm playing some Christmas carols later. You two should come sing with us!"

Kaito turned backwards and responded confidently.

"Of course!"

Maki shrunk in Kaito's arms upon hearing his words. Nevertheless, Kaito continued to usher her to their next destination, drinking more of his hot chocolate.

The two of them stopped in front of a gold throne, with red cushions. Presents wrapped in red and green were laying all around it. Sitting in the throne was Gonta Gokuhara, wearing a Santa Claus outfit. Kaito thought it was a good impersonation - considering that Tsumugi made the costume. If Gonta didn't have long, brown hair, Kaito might have mistook him for the real thing. Sitting on his lap was Kokichi Oma, in a red and green elf outfit. The pointed hat covered most of Kokichi's purple hair.

"Maki Roll, you _gotta_ know who Santa Claus is, right?"

Maki looked away again, and responded slowly.

"Um... Sorta..."

"Santa's the one who gives everyone presents on Christmas Eve. All the kids make sure to let Santa know what they want, so he can get it for them."

"What if a kid wants something that's expensive? Or something that isn't obtainable?"

Kaito shook his head at her, and started explaining.

"It's not about what the gift is, Maki Roll. It's about the act of giving the gifts, and receiving them from your friends and family. Look."

Maki nodded, and watched Kokichi as he stared at Gonta, his eyes wide and sparkling, like a kid's in a candy store.

"What can Gonta Claus get Kokichi for Christmas?"

"I waaaant - to rule the world!"

"Um... Gonta Claus not know if he can do that..."

"Awwww, really? That's lame..."

Kokichi displayed an apathetic look for a few seconds, and then turned back to Gonta.

"Well, how about for only _one_ country?"

"Hmm... Gonta Claus still not know..."

"Hm... How about... A pony!"

"Gonta Claus probably can do that one!"

"Oh, thank you, Gonta Claus!"

Kokichi's eyes sparkled again, giving Gonta a tight hug. Gonta patted him on the back, smiling in return.

The grin reappeared on Maki's face as she turned back towards Kaito.

"See how happy Christmas made him feel?"

"Kokichi could be lying, you know."

Kaito couldn't help but agree with her, yet he dismissed her comment quickly, waving his hand and giving a nervous laugh.

"You think he'd lie during Christmastime? Forget about that, Maki Roll."

Maki gave Kaito a slight glare, and then glanced around.

"What's that?"

Maki stuck her finger out, and Kaito looked in that direction. Standing there was a slightly angry Keebo, being tinkered with by Miu Iruma. Keebo was standing up straight and motionless. He was dressed in a nutcracker outfit, which Tsumugi made as well.

"That's a Nutcracker. They're used to crack open chestnuts."

"Then what's Miu doing?"

Miu was wearing a very tight and revealing Ms. Claus outfit as she reached behind Keebo and pulled a lever on his back, causing his mouth to open and close.

"Miu, I only agreed to this because I was told it would help everyone celebrate Christmas. I fail to see how what you're doing is helping me with that."

"Calm down! Of course you'll help... You're gonna be _my_ personal nutcracker..."

"Your... personal... nutcracker?"

Miu pulled down the lever on Keebo's back and rubbed her hands over Keebo's teeth. Kaito knew where this was going, and it surely wasn't going the way he wanted. So he started walking away, and motioned for Maki to follow him.

"Let's skip this one, okay?"

"Okay..."

Kaito led Maki further away from the house, the solid, white snow crunching underneath their feet. The wind started to pick up, blowing light snow at the two of them. As they finished their hot chocolate, they came across Tsumugi and Rantaro building a snowman. Kaito and Maki watched as Rantaro placed the head on the snowman, along with two rounded ears and a nose, resembling everyone's favorite bear. Tsumugi smiled at him, and they laughed as they added the arms.

"So, Maki Roll, when you were younger, did you ever play in the snow?"

Maki looked at Kaito, slightly surprised by his question. Her cheeks were redder than before, and Kaito assumed that was because of the cold. Maki gave a sigh, and then delivered her answer.

"No, not really. It barely snowed where I was. And even when it did, it wasn't enough to do anything with."

"It barely snowed? Even on Christmas? Christmas and snow, like, go together!"

"Apparently not."

Kaito looked at Maki, her face displaying her typical stoic expression. Kaito couldn't help but smile at her.

"Well, you've got all the snow you want here. Snow's almost as fun as Christmas itself! You can do whatever you want with it. Like-"

FWAP!

A snowball smacked across Kaito's face, exploding into countless pellets, enveloping his face in white.

"Degenerate male!" Tenko Chabashira yelled, pointing in the direction of Kaito. She then reached down, made another snowball, and ran off. Maki started giggling quietly.

Kaito quickly shook his head, and wiped his face. As mad as he was, he still chuckled at Tenko's behavior.

"Like that. Making snowballs and throwing them at people."

Kaito's smile grew bigger once he saw Maki's laughter, but a loud voice interrupted them. The two of them turned to see Himiko and Ryoma, both wearing the same elf costume that Kokichi was.

"But it's Christmastime! It's not the time to sulk!" Himiko exclaimed towards a nonchalant Ryoma.

"Why should I be happy? For someone like me, what's there to live for?"

Ryoma was staring off into the distance again, and Himiko walked up, even closer to him.

"Because! You're with your friends! Now's the time to have fun-"

FWAP!

Another one of Tenko's snowballs hit Ryoma directly in the face, and he almost fell down. Ryoma's expression didn't change at all, but Himiko's did.

"Hey! We were talking here!"

Tenko grew depressed, standing in place.

"B-but Himiko... He's a degenerate male... He's only getting what he deserves..."

"But that's no reason to..."

Himiko trailed off and reached down to make a snowball. She held it out to Ryoma, giving him a sincere smile.

"Tenko's a friend. Friends throw snowballs at each other for fun, right?"

"A snowball fight..."

"Yeah, just like tennis! Except instead of _hitting_ the balls, you _dodge_ them... And you gotta throw the ball _towards_ the other person instead of _away_ from them..."

"Just like tennis, huh?"

Ryoma gave Himiko a look of contemplation, and then took the snowball from Himiko.

"Let's see if I've still got it..."

Ryoma struck a ready pose, as Tenko reached down to grab another snowball. Himiko took a few steps away from them.

"I can't play with you guys because with my magic, I can throw a thousand snowballs at once."

Within a second, the snowballs started flying between Tenko and Ryoma, both of them dodging the others' snowballs with ease.

Kaito laughed at them, and he could tell Maki was doing the same.

"You see, Maki Roll, this is what Christmas is all about. Appreciating your friends and loved ones, and spending time with them."

"You'd think we wouldn't need a holiday to do that..."

Kaito smiled, "Yeah, right? But there's all this religion stuff that makes Christmas special, too... I don't wanna talk about it..."

Maki gave him a slight grin as they continued walking. Eventually, they reached a small, wooden bench, and Kaito sat down instinctively. Maki followed his lead.

The sun was setting next to them, lighting up the sky in colors similar to those that were on their Christmas tree. The clouds that were there before all but disappeared.

Kaito put his hands behind his head and released a satisfying sigh, watching the others celebrating the holiday. Mirai Hills was the most festive it's ever been - bustling with holiday spirit. Kaito could watch them forever...

After a couple seconds, Maki spoke up.

"Thank you, Kaito, for showing me all this."

Kaito pointed his eyes towards Maki, and looked into her deep, red ones. Back when they first met, Maki wasn't very talkative at all. She excluded herself from the others, and Kaito didn't want that. He wanted everyone to trust each other and be friends, so he took it upon himself to help them. First Shuichi, and now her... Kaito was sincerely happy he could help.

"Of course, Maki Roll. A leader looks out for everyone."

As he was looking as her, Kaito noticed something. He quickly sat up on the bench.

"Maki Roll, you're shivering. Are you sure you don't wanna go back inside?"

Maki gave him a light smile and replied.

"I'm fine."

There was something about her statement that Kaito didn't quite believe. She was obviously cold...

"Well, I can't let one of my sidekicks freeze to death. Here, take this."

Kaito pulled off his outer jacket and handed it to Maki.

"But Kaito, won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine, Maki Roll. Trust me."

Kaito gave Maki a thumbs-up, so she nodded and reluctantly put on the coat. She wrapped it around herself, and held it close to her like a blanket. Afterwards, she looked back up at him, and he gave her a grin.

"Merry Christmas, Maki Roll."

Kaito saw a smile grow on her face, as her cheeks turned even redder than before, which he assumed was due to the warmth from the coat. Kaito leaned back on the bench.

"With all of us helping, I'm sure your first Christmas will be great!"

After a couple seconds of silence, Maki spoke up.

"It already is."

Maki leaned over to Kaito and kissed his cheek lightly. Kaito's eyes shot open, surprised at what she did. Kaito turned back towards her, and she was smiling even larger than before. Kaito struggled to come up with a proper response.

"Maki Roll... I-I didn't know... I-"

"Merry Christmas, Kaito."

Maki then rested her head on Kaito's shoulder, who was still in shock.

Did she... did she actually _like_ him?

Kaito thought about everything they've been doing together, and he grinned. He shook his head, growing playfully angry at himself that he didn't pick up on it sooner. Then, he leaned backwards on the bench, relaxing just as Maki did, and closed his eyes in contentment.

Maki was right, Kaito thought. This Christmas is already great.

 **A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! I wrote this on a whim last night, I hope you liked it!**


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